Embossed plywood



Feb. 24, 1931- G. R. MEYERcoRD ET AL 1,794,194

EMBOS SED PLYWOOD Filed Oct. l0, 1929 6. ZVEI 777519 fwd/M p sought to produce carving.

Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE R. MEYERCORD,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND CHARLES B.`-NORRIS, OF GRAND A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK EMBOSSED PLYWOOD Original application filed lMarch 15, 1929, Serial No. 347,436. Divided and this application filed October 10, 1928. Serial No. 398,802.

plywood of the type It is possible to emboss secured together by 1n which the plies are means of a waterproof glue, by pressing a panel, after it has been softened by boiling, between male and female dies. Great difiicult-y, however, is experienced when it is relief that will be clean and the appearance of a wood The present invention consists of an embossed plywood panel, in which the embossing is sharp and clean and the outer layer of veneer is left without visible breaks or defects resulting from the lembossing process.

In order to secure a perfect product, the dies must of course be accurately made but, if a panel is compressed. equally throughout its area, or if the pressure and temperature factors are not properly chosen, or if there is no provision for getting rid of the excess moisture which the panel contains due to the boiling thereof to permit it to be molded, the resulting product will not be satisfactory. The panels to be embossed usually consist of cores faced with veneers of the rarer woods. We have found that goods results are not obtained unless the panel is highly compressed in areas where the embossing is heavy; a reduction in thickness to one-half the initial thickness, or even less, being often necessary. However, if this same reduction in thickness is carried to other parts of the panel where there is no embossing, Yfor eX- ample, the grain-of the core will show through the veneer. Also, if the dies are simply closed on the work, and held closed, the surface of the panel will be blistered.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with partioularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is an edge view of a fragment of a plywood panel before the embossing operation; Fig. 2 is a section through a fragment of the same panel, after the embossing operation; Fig. 3 is a top plan View of a fragment sharp and have highly embossed area perature of about 300CJ o f the embossed panel; and F ig. l 4 is a vertical section through a pair of embossing dies by means of which the panel of Fig. l may be transformed into the panel of Fig. 2.

The present application is a division of our prior application, Serial Number 347,436, filed March l5, 1929.

Assuming that the plywood panel of Fig. l 's to be transformed into a panel having a l surrounded by flat areas 2, 2 as indicated in Fig. 2, we have found that the material of the area l should be compressed until the thickness is greatly reduced, preferably more than half; whereas the flat areas 2 should be compressed only slightly, in comparison'. l/Vhere the flat areas are near the edges of the panel, the compression thereof need not be greater than ten percent whereas, when they are located elsewhere, the reduction in thickness should be somewhat more, perhaps fifteen or twenty percent.

The first requirement in the manufacture of the embossed panel is that the faces of the die blocks 3 and 4, including the-dies 5 and 6, be so shaped that each part of the panel will be compressed to the desired extent when the dies are closed on the panel'under a predetermined pressure. Therefore, if the die faces 5'and 6 lit into each other when the dies are closed while empty, the surrounding fiat faces must-be cut away so that they will not touch.

perature, the lower the temperature the higher the pressure. l/Ve therefore prefer to heat the dies and have found that good results are obtained by keeping the dies at a tem- F. The dies may be heated in any suitable way as, for example, by means of electric heating elements such as conventionally indicated at 7 and 8 in Fig. 3. The pressure should be high at the beginning of the operation but, after the emthe dies should there y to insure that the panel will lie fiat lor have the desired curvature, When it is dry. Depending upon the nature of the panel and the embossing to be applied, the high pressure may -vary from threey thousand pounds to six thousand pounds per square inch, While the low pressure may in each case be about one-third as great as the high ressure. l

If the dies are simply closed and left closed the surface of the panel Will become blistered.

lVe have found that if the dies are opened from time to time during the first part of the embossing operation, the steam that is generated Will be caused to escape in such a manner that the surface .of the panel Will remain unblemished. Upon opening the dies, there is a sudden inrush of cool room air across the panel and an evolution of steam from the panel. Then, When the dies are quickly closed again, the steam and air are pushed out laterally. This brief opening of be brought about at intervals While there is moisture to be eliminated. We have found in practice that if the dies are opened. seven or eight times during the first five fminutes of the embossing process, .the dies may then be left closed, under heavy pressure, for another period ofsay five minutes. By the end of this second period the embossing will have been clearly defined. Thereafter the dies may be held closed until the panel has become dry this third period usually lasting about fifteen minutes. Then, when the panel is removed it Will retain `its shape indefinitely Without warping.

The final product may be either flat, curved or molded into dish-shape, since the present invention relates to the impressing of embossing on the panel rather than the shape of the panel itself. In any event, in order to secure sharply defined embossing that will have the appearance of hand carving, heavportions that are unembossed or only slightly embossed and those portions that are unembossed or only slightly embossed being only slightly compressed.

In testimony whereof, We sign this specifiily embossed areas must be highly compressed While fiat or slightly rounded areas must -be of a thickness more nearly approaching that of the original panel.

1. A molded plywood panel having heavily A or deeply embossed areas displaced bodily out of the plane and surrounded by portions of the panel that are unembossed or only slightly embossed, the material of the panel being compressed in said areas to about onehalf the initial' thickness of the panel.

2. A/molded plywood panel having heavily or deeply embossed areas and portions of the panel that are unembossed or only slightly embossed, the material of the panel being compressed in said areas to about one-half the initial thickness of the panel, and being displaced bodily out of the plane of the said 

